Per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the Rockets are open to trading 22-year-old NBA All-Star Alperen Sengun in a potential deal involving Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Seven top potential Giannis Antetokounmpo landing spots in a trade
Spurs, Rockets and Nets feel far more possible than the glamour market trades (no Knicks and Lakers fans, it’s not happening).https://t.co/4oy5Uv4H48
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) May 15, 2025
The Houston Rockets clearly have some level of interest in pursuing a trade this offseason for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
How much?
Per veteran NBA scribe Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the Rockets are willing to include 22-year-old NBA All-Star Alperen Sengun in an offer. Helin writes:
Houston has optionality, this trade can be structured in many different ways. Houston would be open to trading Alperen Sengun, league sources told NBC Sports, but the Bucks may be higher on a Jalen Green-based trade (depending on how they rate Green). Jabari Smith Jr. is likely part of any deal, and the Rockets have a lot of future first-round picks — their own and others, such as Brooklyn and Phoenix picks — that could be part of the trade. It likely takes a third team to make the math work, but it’s very doable.
A 6-foot-11 power forward, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points (60.1% FG), 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game in the 2024-25 season. A two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP), the “Greek Freak” is a perennial MVP candidate and appears set to make his seventh consecutive All-NBA First Team in the coming days.
Thus, as good as Sengun is, Antetokounmpo is currently in a higher tier. Then again, Antetokounmpo is 30 years old and Sengun is 22, which is why the deal could have appeal to the Bucks (and why some Houston fans might hesitate).
The next domino is finding out whether Antetokounmpo truly issues a trade request, and if the Rockets think his addition is sufficient to lift this season’s 52-30 finish into true title contention. If both answers are affirmative, a deal that makes sense for both sides appears reasonable — and especially since Milwaukee doesn’t have control of its future first-round draft picks. That could make it especially important for the Bucks to target younger players with proven production and an ability to quickly contribute to winning.
In the first year of a five-year contract extension, Sengun will make $33.9 million in 2025-26. That will make it signicantly easier for the Rockets to match salaries with the Bucks and Antetokounmpo’s $57.6-million figure.
Had Houston not awarded contract extensions to Sengun and Green last October, neither could be part of a 2025 offseason trade without their consent (since each would be a restricted free agent). Thus, those deals are already adding to the options for Rockets general manager Rafael Stone.